COLUMN: Being a vegetarian on Turkey Day is not that tough

As a lover of all things food and family, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.

At the end of late November, I get to indulge in a host of my favorite food ó squash casseroles, cornbread, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

Thereís one thing that isnít on my plate though: turkey.

Advertisement

Iíve spent quite a few of my past Thanksgiving feasts skirting around the large bird in the middle of the table and throwing shade at the hot spiced roast beef gravy.

Meat just isnít for me.

But, surprisingly, Thanksgiving isnít as hard as one might think for a vegetarian.

Itís a bit more difficult for my family members, actually.

My mom, forever concerned about my health, (Are you eating enough? Youíre as skinny as a twig!), has become more inventive in her holiday cooking.

Sheís introduced me to textured vegetable protein- a suitable replacement for ground beef gravy, and has perfected her quinoa mac and cheese recipe.

All of this Iím incredibly thankful for, but it isnít anything Iíve ever asked for.

Iíve actually had to remind her a few times to put down the spatula- Iím a 20-something completely capable of feeding myself.

As a vegetarian, I donít expect friends and family members to go out of their way for me on turkey day.

While Iíll likely show up to family dinner with a vegetarian-friendly dish to pass, such as roasted root vegetables or sautťed Brussels sprouts and apples, I donít request that any accommodations be made specifically for me.

With the smorgasbord of food available at any Thanksgiving dinner, itís usually fairly easy for vegetarians to fill up on salads, side dishes or desserts.

Sometimes my carnivore friends ask for advice on what to do about hosting a veggie for a holiday.

Though most of us donít expect hosts to go to far lengths to please us, there are a few simple things that can be done to accommodate a vegetarian.

Serve the meat on the side. Set the turkey, ham and bacon cold cuts to the side of the chefís salad, so guests can add as much as theyíd like. Put the gravy next to the potatoes, but donít automatically ladle it out for every guest.

If youíre concerned about hosting a vegetarian for Thanksgiving, make sure there are one or two filling vegetable-based side dishes.

While many of us herbivores donít expect or demand others to go out of their way for us, we will be very grateful that youíve taken us into consideration.

About the Author

Randi Shaffer has been the Isabella County reporter for the Morning Sun since 2012. An alumna of CMU, she is in the process of obtaining her MSA degree. Obsessions include hockey, yoga and vegetables. Reach the author at rshaffer@michigannewspapers.com
.